Improvement in car-couplings



0. RETAN. Oar-Coupling.

No, 216,891, ."Patented June 24, 1.879.

IN E N u F' 0Z1: allgian fliforn e51 .zraz. an ealw c UNITED STATE-SPATENT O FIcE.

OLNA RETAN, or PULTNEY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,891 dated June 24,1879; application filed if May 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLNA RETAN, of Pultney, in the county of Steuben andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Gar-Gouplin gs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings in which acoupling-pin of one drawhead is dropped automatically through a linkcarried by another when the two draw-heads strike together.

Its object is to provide an automatic coupling, simple in construction,easily adjusted, sure in its operation, and capable of use in connectionwith any of the ordinary link-couplings.

It consists mainly in the combination, with a draw-head having a recessin its end and provided with vertical coupling-pin passages, ofaspring-actuated slotted sliding plate arranged upon the top ofthedraw-head and adapted to support the pin, a yielding buffer connectedto said plate and standing in front of the draw-head, a link-supportin gdevice attached to said buffer, whereby the coupling: link carried byone draw-head may be supported so as to properly enter an oppositedraw-head, and a device for supporting the pin in an approximatelyvertical position, with its tip resting upon the unslotted portion ofsaid sliding plate, so that when the buffer is struck by the buffer ofanother car and a coupling-pin enters the recess in the draw-head thesliding plate will be forced rearward and the coupling-pin permitted todrop through the slot thereof and the pin-passages of the drawhead, andengage the link, and when said pin is withdrawn the sliding plate andbufier will be caused to automatically resume their positions, theformer to support the coupling-pin, and the latter to receive and yieldbefore the stroke of another draw-head.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of adraw-head provided with my improved coupling devices and carrying acoupling-link; Fig. 2, a similar view of another draw head, having itscoupling devices arranged to receive and automatically engage the link.Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the devices for supporting thecoupling-pin in position, as shown in Fig. 2, and automatically droppingit to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detachedside view, partly in section, of the yielding buffer and slide.

The letters A and A, respectively, in Figs. 1 and .2 indicatedraw-heads, which may be secured to railway-cars in any ordinary and 7through it a guide-passage for a sliding plate,

D, slotted through aportion of its length, and carrying at its front enda buffer-frame, E, which extends downward in front of the draw-. head.

The rear end of the plate D carries a tip or abutment, f, which limitsthe forward movement of the plate; and rearwardly from this abutmentextends a stem, g, near the end of which is secured one end of a spring,h, which is secured to and coiled around a pin projectin g from theupper surface of the draw-head. The tension of the spring is so adjustedthat normally it forces the stem and plate D forward, causing the stopor abutment fto' strike the bridge 0, and the solid or unslotted portiond'of the plate to lie under an aperture or passage, 70, in the bridge.

Upon top of the bridge 0 is arranged a bracket, L, in the top wall ofwhich is a:h;ole for the passage of the coupling-pin. This hole is in avertical line with the passage 70 in the bridge and with apertures inthe upper and lower walls of the recess in the draw-head, through whichthe coupling-pin passes when it engages the link. The bracket L is ofsuch -height as to hold the pin M in an approximately vertical position,when said pin is passed through the hole in its top wall and rests uponthe unslotted portion 01 of plate D lying under the aperture 70 of thebridge.

Upon o e of the vertical or end bars of the bufier-frame E is pivoted abar, a, and upon the other end bar of said frame is secured aspring-catch, 0, having a series of shoulders,

p, by which the pin end of bar a may be supported' at different heights.The function of this barn is to support the coupling-link in position toproperly enter the recess of an opposite draw-head, as shown in Fig. 1;and by providing the spring-catch 0 with more than one shoulder Iprovide for supporting the link to engage with the coupling devices ofcars of different heights.

The manner of using my invention is as follows, when both cars to becoupled are provided with the same The coupling-link R is inserted inthe recess of one of the draw-heads, as shown in Fig. l.

The plate D is moved rearward, to permit the coupling-pin to passdownward through its slot and engage the link, and the bar n is placedupon one of the shoulders 10 of the catch 0, to hold the link in properposition to enter the recess of the draw-head of another car. In thisother draw-head the plate D is allowed to be forced forward by thespring h, so that its solid or unslotted portion lies under the aperturek in the bridge 0. The coupling-pin is then passed through the hole inthe top wall of the bracket L, .and its tip rested upon the plate D,when said pin will stand in the position shown in Fig. 2. The bar a ofthis drawhead is then disengaged from the catch 0 and swung downward, asshown, out of the way of the coupling-link carried by the draw-head ofthe opposite car. Now, when the two cars come together the buffer-framesE will strike through the apertures in the draw-head, and also throughthe link, which will then have entered a proper distance into the recessof said draw-head. As the plate D is forced rearward against the tensionof spring h, whenever the pin is withdrawn said plate will beautomatically shifted into proper position to support the pin again.

I do not limit myself to the form of spring shown in the drawings, asvarious other forms will answer the purpose as Well. For instance, thestem 9 may be surrounded by a helical spring, arranged according to thewell-known modes, to be either compressed or extended when the platemoves rearwardly and to return said plate; or a leaf-spring maybearranged in the path of the stem 9 for the same purpose.

A draw-head provided with my improved devices may be used in connectionwith any of the ordinary link-bearing draw-heads, so that, while it ispreferable, it is not necessary that all the cars to be coupled in atrain should be provided with my couplings.

Having now described the construction and operation of my invention, Iclaim' 1. The combination, with the draw-head, of the yielding buffer,having pivoted link-supporting bar 02, the slotted slidingspring-actuated plate D, the bridge 0, bracket L, pin M, and link R,substantially as described.

' 2. The combination, with the yielding, buffer, of the pivoted bar atand the spring-catch 0, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 1 have hereunto set my hand inthe presence of the subscribing witnesses.

OLN A RETAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. NORRIS, Jns. A. RUTHERFORD.

